The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-10-07

UoIoRED MAN WHO HAS BEEN TiIEnt
DEscRrBEs iirs EXPERIENCE.

From the Worcester (Mass) Telegram.
M Yesterday afternoon colored man
was taken i'll on the common and
would have fallen but for the timely as
sistance Of two bystanders. The man
had been wandering about the common
since morning and had been noticed on
account Of the peculiar way in which
he carried his head. 1t hung toward
his right shoulder, and he seemed TO
take no pains to pull it into the posi-
in which people commonly carry their
heads. When he had been assisted 10
a seat he tainted, and when he regain.
ed consciousness he cutched at his
throat, tore away his collar and said
appealingly: mo, mol My Godl
Not againi'' The humane person who
had remained by his side took him to
a restaurant and saw him properly fed.
1t was in a burst of gratitude and con-
fidence at being so well treated that
the colored man told tale so utterly
marvellous as to be utterly unworthy
of credence we're it not corroborated
by known facts
1t was sitting in the common after
he had diued that he said: 81 have
had trouble with my neck and been
subject to fainting spells ever since |
was hanged in Arkansas.'
The expression was startling enough
to make any one think the man was
crazy; but he was circumstantial as to
detail of time and place, aud il is
well known fact that a negro was
legally hanged three years ago in
Arkansas for assault on white wo-
man, and afterward recovered con-
sciousness twenty minutes after the
drop of the old-fashioned platform gal
lows fell, and the body was given by
the sheriff to the father of the young
man, who, with some friend, was wait
ing near by with wagon. 1t was the
intention to take him to the settlement,
where he formerly lived, and bury him
there. This settlement was fourteen
miles from the county seat, at which
the hanging took place, and was
through lonely piece of country.
When the wagon was nearly at home
the father of the supposed corpse and
his friends were startled by groans
coming from under the tarpaulin
thrown over the supposed dead man
and his struggles to get from under it.
As soon as they had recovered from
their fright they went back to the
wagon, from which they had fled, and
helped the legally dead man up, gave
him drink from the omnipresent jug
of whisky and took him home.
81 was locked up he said, "more
than six months, but never thought l
was going to be hanged until the night
before. Then l knew the gallows was
up and l got scared. They prayed
with me all the time and tried to keep
me from thinking of it, but l didn't
hear what they prayed about l was
too excited l didn't go to sleep all
the night before, and when they came
to fetch me J. was so weak l couldn't
stand up. The sheriff gave me a
drink OF whisky and then tied my ell
bows behind myback and took me
along. knew there were crowds
around when / went to the gallows,
but didn't seem to see them. | heard
somebody singing and l joined in.
Then they pushed me up on the gal
lows and l saw the rope and got scared
again and tried to hang back, but they
pushed me along and made me stand
up straight. l recollect their putting
the moose on my neck and drawing it
up tight, but l was thinking of wheth-
er they were going to hang me, and all
at once dropped. / had shut my
eyes when they pulled piece of cloth
over my face, but l opened them then
and tried to get my hands up to tear
the cloth off so could see, but all at
once l thought some one hit me ter
rible blow on the head and / lost my
senses. When woke up l thought
some one was choking me and l tried
to get loose, but l couldn't. Then it
seemed as if my head was bursting
and saw awful lights before my eyes,
and my feet and hands seemed to be
SO heavy, | couldn't stir them. Then
great rings of all sorts of bright colors
began at my eyes and went further and
further off, growing bigger aed fainter
until lost them. My bead felt prick
ly all over and so did my hands and
feet, and couldn't breathe, and then
tainted. Once knew / was being
hanged, but it was only for second.
"When l awoke in the wagon l was
worse scared than before, and when
got out from under the tarpaulin
thought l had been dreaming. Thel
when my neck got to hurting me so
knew what was the matter. For week
, afterwards / could hardly swallow
and i couldn't turn my head, and
can't now very much. The cords ar
all stiff on one side and drawn down.